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Monday, September 29, 2014

First Lady Michelle Obama Calls on World Leaders to Match Courage of Malala

The First Lady, Michelle Obama, gave a moving keynote address at the third annual Global Education First Initiative event. Michelle's speech focused on providing quality education for all girls across the world. Obama challenged world leaders to match the courage and commitment of girls who are fighting for their right to education.

I'm thinking about girls like Malala. I'm thinking about those brave girls in Nigeria. I'm thinking about all the girls who will never make the headlines who walk hours to school each day, who study late into the night because they are so hungry to fill every last bit of their God given potential.

Universal education is a Millennium Development Goal that the United Nations had committed to achieving by next year, but as the year ticks away it is unlikely to achieve the goal. Michelle stressed that quality education for every child and the empowerment of women and girls needs to be on the post-2015 deadline agenda. The speech ended with her again calling world leaders to action by reminding leaders of the girls who are sacrificing so much just for the chance to get an education.

If we can show just a tiny fraction of their courage and their commitment, then I know we can give all of our girls an education worthy of their promise.